>When brood rearing ceases in the hive, the bees that are being born
no longer have to feed the brood all the proteins,vitamins and minerals
and they are reabsorbed by the worker bees present that allows them
to over winter.

Unfortunately, data does not support that hypothesis.  Those bees that
performed as nurses do not become winter bees.

>This study demonstrated that timing of transition from summer bees to
> winter bees can be influenced by pollen availability.
>

But it was certainly not due to lack of pollen.  Check the data in the
original paper as to the amount of natural pollen in the hives.

>
> >What I think: Resources in fall may be abundant but they are declining.
> The bees sense the onslaught of the dearth, and manipulate the brood food,
> deliberately shorting their rations. This switches the bees into the longer
> lifespan mode, to ride out the winter or dearth. '
>

Unfortunately again, the data do not support that hypothesis.  In the
recent papers, the starved bees had higher JH titres.  In winter bees, the
JH titres contrarily are much lower (due to the high Vg titre).

-- 
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com

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